Manel Navarro has less than six weeks to go until he graces the Eurovision 2017 stage, representing his country Spain with “Do It For Your Lover“. Promotion during these weeks are key, it could bring these acts the extra few points and votes they need.

Spain’s 2017 representative is currently in the UK this weekend, preparing for London’s Eurovision Party, which will be held at the Café de Paris, tonight (2 April 2017).

He took some time to speak to CelebMix at The Strand Palace Hotel, yesterday. He’s chilled relaxed vibe emanated from him easily; we can’t wait to see him perform “Do It For Your Lover” on the Eurovision stage. he’ll no doubt put every viewer at ease.

Introduce yourself

Hi there, it’s Manel Navarro, I’m representing Spain this year in the Eurovision Song Contest; so, UK if you like my song, I hope you give me the 12 points. It would be really, really awesome. Thank you so much. London is really beautiful; England, in general, is really, really beautiful, so I will come for sure next time and I hope to have some gigs here, apart from Eurovision.

How has promotion been going?

I have been in the Ukraine, promoting the song. Also in Bucharest, [Romania]. And now in London. I came [on Friday] and I am here until Monday. Then, I will go straight to Tel Aviv, [Isreal], and then Amsterdam, [Netherlands]. So, we keep working every day. We don’t have time for chilling, we are just working, working, working. But, well, that’s just the beauty of music, that I am able to go sleeping thinking about music and wake up thinking about music; so, I am really, really happy right now.

You are performing at the London Eurovision Party, how are you preparing for that?

Well, we had rehearsals, I’m going to sing my single, “Do It For Your Lover” – the Eurovision song; I am also going to sing “Castle On The Hill” by Ed Sheeran; and I’m going to do a duet with Lucie Jones, singing “In The Name Of Love” by Martin Garrix [& Bebe Rexha]. And, well, I think it’s going to be amazing.

How does London compare to where you call home?

I really love London. I think it’s one of the best cities I have ever been. Well, the weather is different, of course. I’m from Barcelona, we have beaches; here, you don’t have beaches. But it’s awesome, I like the British culture, I like the British music, I like everything from London, so I will come for sure very soon – not for working, like I’m doing now; just for spending free time, and be able to visit all of the city.

Tell us about your Eurovision song.

My Eurovision song is called “Do It For Your Lover“. It’s a song that was written, like, two years ago, it’s not a song that we made for Eurovision; it was going to be the second single, so we said: “Why not [enter it] for the Eurovision?”, which is that song. It’s a song that sings about an unconditional love that you have for your own. And I will say that it’s an anthem for love and the meaning is that you have to do everything, that you can that you are able to do, to make the people around you happy.

What about your previous singles? You released “Candle”, how was that?

It was released in the past summer, and it was cool. We recorded the music video in a lake in Madrid, and it’s like, a totally different kind of music, it’s tropical house, whereas “Do It For Your Lover” is pop-reggae. Well, it was my first single and I am very proud of this song, I wrote it by myself too, as well as the other songs I have. And, yeah, it’s a song that talks about the life that people have inside and they have to show it because every life is beautiful. So it’s a song that means a lot.

How was it winning your national selection show?

Well, it was not what I was expecting because of the controversy that was in the national [final] even, but, well, now, I’m really happy. At the beginning, it was a little bit hard, because, you know, it’s hard to live this moment, but now I’m really happy and I’m working really hard; I’m just focusing on my music, and who I am, and what I want to bring to Europe and make people understand. And, yeah, that’s all, I’m really, really happy and really excited, and I’m sure we’re going to do something great.

What are your plans for the staging?

We had, three weeks ago, the first rehearsals, with the visuals and everything, where I am going to be on the stage. And, we have rehearsals with the guys who are going to do the currents. We’re not 100% prepared, we’re just improving new things, but [on Friday] they sent me the visuals, the last finished visuals; and, it’s something cool and we’re going to bring the Spanish sun to Europe and the beach, the good vibe and the good mood. And, yeah, I think people will like it and will dance along.

It was recorded in Tenerife, Canary Islands. It was my first time there, and, yeah, it was one of the best experiences of my life because I’ve never been to the Canary Islands, it was my first time, and, yeah, we wanted to show a different place from Spain, that it’s a nice land, that it’s near to Africa more than it is to Spain, but it’s also Spain. So we wanted to show that land also. It’s got a good vibe, a good mood, the sun, surfing – I love surfing.

Have you had any other advice from previous contestants?

Yeah, I have had advice from two Spanish contestants of the last years. One was Barei and the other one was Soraya. And, yeah, they told me the same, that there will always be bad things, that you cannot [please] everyone. So, what I have to do is focus on my music, focus on who I am, and, also, the most important thing; enjoy it. Because they are going to be the three most important memories of my life, of the moment. I like to think of Eurovision it’s not the end of anything, but it’s just the beginning of my career because after the Eurovision we’re going to bring new music, we’re going to bring an album. It’s just the start.

What other contestants’ songs of this year’s Eurovision, do you like?

I like Lucie Jones [the UK representative, who will be singing “Never Give Up On You“], she’s amazing, and she has a really powerful voice. I also like Moldova [who is SunStroke Project with “Hey, Mamma!“], and Belgium [who is Blanche with “City Lights“], and Italy [who is Francesco Gabbani with “Occidentali’s Karma“]. They are my favourite.

Thank you, Manel Navarro for taking some time out to speak to CelebMix. Good luck at London’s Eurovision Party tonight, we’re sure you’ll do great. We look forward to seeing you perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, in Ukraine, on 13 May. You’ve definitely got our vote.

Will you be voting for Manel Navarro? What do you make of “Do It For Your Lover“? Let us know all your thought on Eurovision 2017 on Twitter @CelebMix.

27-year-old writer, blogger, author, and journalist. Graduated from Staffordshire University in 2015. I write under the name Critic Jonni, on my blog. I also write for Channillo, Outlet Magazine, SPECTRUMM, Fuzzable, Modern Magazine, and Electric Mode. In the past, I have written for Fox & Squirrel Photography and the Daily Star. Follow me on Twitter @CriticJonni